


As You Lay Dying

by LeapingWithFaith



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Ginny died but it is only mentioned, Lily Luna and Albus Severus were never born, Post-Hogwarts, harry is dying, james is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:42:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29803800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeapingWithFaith/pseuds/LeapingWithFaith
Summary: This is a one-shot that I wrote for the first round of the QLFC season nine on FFn.Life doesn’t always allow us to have the things we want. This is something that some sadly learn earlier in life. Still, Harry wished his son James hadn’t learned about it so early.
Relationships: Harry Potter & James Sirius Potter
Kudos: 3





	As You Lay Dying

James Sirius Potter felt like he had been crying for weeks even if it couldn’t have been more than an hour. His father had promised him that he would be fine, but as of an hour ago, the Savior of the Wizarding World was dying of a terminal case of Tenebris-Sanguis Flu. Apparently, after the fights with Voldemort, no one saw it fit to have Harry’s magic cleansed. The oversight had meant that James’ father was dying.

What made matters worse was that Harry had promised his son that the case was minor and that he would be fine after a magical cleansing. As more sobs tore from the young boy’s throat he felt a hand come to rest on the top of his head. “I’m sorry if I got your hopes up.” Those were the first words that James got to hear from his father that day. “I honestly didn’t expect things to take a turn so quickly. I felt fine yesterday. What you have had to go through this morning is just terrible. I am sorry son. I wish you hadn’t had to find me like that.”

James looked at his father as the words were spoken and barely was able to fight off the urge to sob even harder. James had found Harry collapsed on the floor a little over an hour ago. Harry looked incredibly weak too. The man’s skin was pale and his veins a visible black under his skin. The results of his magical core being saturated in dark magic for years.

“It’s not fair… I don’t want you to die!” James cried out.

Harry smiled and ruffled his son’s hair. “Something the Potters have always known, James, is that dying is a natural consequence of life. I love you son, and I want you to promise me that you will live life to the fullest after I’m gone.”

James shook his head at that. “NO! You aren’t supposed to leave me. I need you! You aren’t supposed to be gone this soon.”

Tears came to Harry’s eyes. “I wouldn’t be leaving if I had another choice, Jamie… You know I love you, and if I wish I could be here to see you grow into the wonderful man I know you will be one day. I need you to promise me though that you are going to live. I spent so much time after the war mourning. Your mother got sick of it and left me after, and she died as a result. The remainder of the Death Eaters killed her because she was unprotected and they wanted to hurt me. If Ron hadn’t been watching you that day, I would have lost you, too. I don’t want you to mourn for me and miss anything. You are about to start Hogwarts and you have your entire life ahead of you.”

Harry let a sad laugh loose as he continued. “What is that quote? ‘Whether you win or lose, looking back and learning from your experience is a part of life.’ I can look back at my life, son, and I am happy with most of it. The stuff I am not happy with, I learned from. I want you to be able to look back at yours and smile and learn. I know it is a lot to ask of you at your age, but I need your promise, James, because you are the best thing I have ever done in this life, and I want to know as I pass onto my next great adventure that you will be happy on your current one.”

James did start sobbing more at that. “It still isn’t fair...” The room was quiet after those four words for several minutes before James spoke again. “I love you dad, and I promise that I will be able to look back on my life when it is my time and smile and to learn from the things I can’t smile about, but I can’t promise to be happy again right away.”

Harry smiled as a few more tears spilled from his eyes. “I know buddy. I know it isn’t easy. I also know you can do it. You are a Potter, and we have always greeted Death as an old friend. I have something for you too though. In my old school trunk, there is a map and a cloak. The map is opened by stating, ‘I solemnly swear I am up to no good,’ and it is closed by saying, ‘mischief managed.’ The cloak is the Potter invisibility cloak. I was gonna give them to you before you left for Hogwarts, but you will be going home with Hermione and Ron when you leave here. So make sure to grab them when you go collect your things, alright?”

James nodded his head, and when he felt Harry dragging him into the bed, he didn’t fight it. Instead, he curled into his dad’s side in the small hospital bed and cried even more. James didn’t like the fact that his dad was leaving him. He never would like it when someone died, but he would make sure to keep his promise to his dad and do his best to live a life that he would look back on and smile at. 

Harry looked down at his son and cried silently. This would officially make his son an orphan just like he himself was. He had never wished that fate on his kids, and yet here he was, leaving his son. The promise he got from his son was his way of staying with the boy longer. James would hopefully think of his promise often and think of his dad every time he thought of it.

The two stayed like that four three more hours before the cursed blood flowing within Harry’s veins finally finished shutting off his organs and the man passed away. At the funeral a few days later, James swore a magical oath over his father’s coffin to never forget his promise and to always live by it. Most people thought it was a foolish thing to do, but James true to his word always lived by his promise.


End file.
